By Andrew Bansal
September 25th 2015, The Whisky-A-Go-Go, West Hollywood CA: Bringing original singer Oni Logan back into the fold, along with the return of drummer Jimmy D’Anda and the recruitment of bassist Sean McNabb, the George Lynch-led Lynch Mob is alive and kicking once again in an incarnation most fans can recognize and appreciate, and released their seventh full-length studio album ‘Rebel’ in August 2015 via Frontiers Records. Following the release, Lynch Mob set out on a mini-tour comprising dates in California and Las Vegas, and arrived at the Whisky-A-Go-Go in West Hollywood last Friday September 25th 2015, to play in front of a packed house and put forth a blend of Lynch Mob hits, Dokken classics and new material.
The Whisky was buzzing with anticipation and got increasingly occupied with attendees as the evening went on, and by the time the stage was ready for Lynch Mob, the place was completely filled. At 11:40, they took the stage and played an 80-minute set, opening with four tunes off of their marquee debut full-length ‘Wicked Sensation’, then delving into material off of ‘Rebel’ and the preceding release ‘Sun Red Sun’, followed by the Dokken segment, and ending with the ‘Wicked Sensation’ title track. It was a well-compiled set representing various phases of George Lynch and Lynch Mob’s career, and the newer compositions carried a decidedly bluesier vibe in comparison to the early-years discography, which made its placement in the middle all the more suitable. With the Lynch Mob lineup going through so many changes over the past 25 years since the band’s inception, for fans of ’80s hard rock/glam/hair metal/virtuosic shred guitar play, it was a treat to experience the core of Lynch Mob back together again as George Lynch and Oni Logan gave the audience a solid dosage of their musical talents. But while these two formed the forefront, bassist Sean McNabb played an important role with strong backing vocals, and with drummer Jimmy D’Anda he kept the rhythm section rocking hard through it all.
As expected, the crowd was at its loudest during the Dokken tunes ‘Into The Fire’ and ‘The Hunter’, and even more so for the most popular Lynch-centric Dokken compositions ‘Mr. Scary’ and ‘Tooth And Nail’. With Oni Logan’s tremendous vocal delivery and Lynch’s eccentic guitar playing which relies as much on feel and tone as it does on shred, these songs were done full justice to, and one cannot imagine a better rendition of them. These days, Dokken fans that are truly interested in experiencing the old songs the way they are meant to sound on stage would much rather prefer the Lynch Mob versions than their modern-day Dokken counterparts, and it’s probably for the best that Lynch is no longer a member of Dokken.
Metal Assault may have said in a past review that Dokken delivered a bad performance because of Don Dokken’s shortcomings and not that of their current guitarist, but that was before seeing George Lynch play a full set with an actual band. And after doing so for the first time at this Lynch Mob gig, it is fair to say that his exploits as a guitarist are absolutely inimitable, and certainly missed whenever Dokken takes the stage. All his solos (except for ‘Tooth And Nail’ which Oni Logan sang over and shouldn’t have), sounded exemplarily crisp and smooth, and he proved himself all over again as one of a kind. Aside from talking on the microphone briefly and pointing out a member of his high-school band Tungus Grump, Lynch focused primarily on scorching the fretboards of his trademark signature guitars.
On the flip side, perhaps the only negative aspect of the show was the band’s own dissatisfaction with their surroundings and the slight negative energy they emanated as a result. Logan complained about the stage fog, the supposed lack of air-conditioning and the levels in his monitors, while Lynch said it ‘sounded like ass’ on his side of the stage. It was a little strange to hear them complain because the sound in the front of house was perfect, as indicated by the crowd with a reassuring roar of approval when Logan asked us whether it sounded fine. They would have perhaps been better served to sort out any issues internally rather than announce it to the entire audience, but other than that, it was an expert-level performance by Lynch Mob that gave attendees their money’s worth.
Overall, there is no denying that this group of musicians performs the older Lynch Mob and Dokken tunes expertly while still coming up with solid new material. One hopes for the lineup to stick together, and for fans of the genre, it is highly recommended to attend a Lynch Mob show at the next available opportunity.
Set List:
01. She’s Evil But She’s Mine
02. River Of Love
03. All I Want
04. Hell Child
05. Believers Of The Day
06. Testify
07. Automatic Fix
08. Into The Fire *
09. The Hunter *
10. Mr. Scary *
11. Tooth And Nail *
12. Wicked Sensation
(* = Dokken cover)